It was supposed to be the happiest moment of their lives - but for Bettina and Marcus Barnes, their wedding day turned sour.

The couple asked for donations towards their honeymoon, in lieu of gifts, only to have the money stolen from under their noses.

To compound matters, a misunderstanding with the management of Malmesbury Town Hall, where the reception was held, led to many of their wedding keepsakes being thrown out.

Mr and Mrs Barnes, who live in Swindon, were married at Malmesbury Abbey.

They chose the town, as it is where Mr Barnes grew up.

The couple and their guests moved on to the town hall to continue the celebrations.

Friends and family contributed to a donations box and, by the end of the night, £265 had been collected.

However, the newlyweds would never see that money.

"We asked guests to donate money, rather than gifts," said Mrs Barnes, 38.

"The next day, when we came in, all the money had gone.

"It is incredibly annoying and you just feel that the wedding day was ruined.

"I realise it's not a huge amount of money, but it's the principle of it.

We were going to put it towards our honeymoon.

"It was very embarrassing having to phone everyone up to ask how much they had given."

The couple, who have two young children, were planning to go to Italy next year for their honeymoon.

Mr and Mrs Barnes had also assembled a team of friends and family to help clear up the hall the day after the reception on July 21.

But Mrs Barnes said she was phoned and told they should have already cleaned it up.

She added, when they arrived, a lot of their keepsakes, such as flowers and table decorations, which she had hoped to keep, had been thrown out.

"There was a misunderstanding with the town hall and, apparently, we should have cleaned up that night," said Mrs Barnes.

"If they want to be taken seriously as a wedding venue, I don't think you can expect people to clean up the same night."

She said there was no suggestion the missing money had anything to do with the clear up.

Town hall manager Ian Mace said it was made very clear the room had to be cleared that night.

He said he was very surprised when he was called in the next day, on other business, to find the hall had not been tidied.

"As is made clear on the booking forms everyone signs, the hiring times include time for clear up," he said.